Effect of Supplementation of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Hay and Urea Molasses Block on Feed Intake, Digestibility, Body Weight Change and Carcass Characteristics of Yearling Local Sheep Fed

Abstract:

A study was conducted to evaluate effect of supplementation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay and urea molasses block on feed Intake, digestibility, body weight change and carcass characteristics of yearling local sheep fed with grass hay as basal diet. Twenty-four yearling intact male local sheep with mean initial body weight of 23.9±1.9 (Mean ± SD) were used in completely randomized block design. Treatments were grass hay fed ad libitum to all treatments plus 1% of live weight alfalfa hay (T1), 1.5% of live weight alfalfa hay (T2), 2.0% of live weight alfalfa hay (T3), and all the three treatments offered with 100g/head/day of Urea-molasses-block (UMB). The control treatment was supplemented with concentrate mix at 2.0% of live weight (T4). The study period consisted 84 days of feeding and 7 days digestibility trials. The CP, NDF and ADF contents of grass hay were 4.6, 72.21 and 61.7%, respectively. The CP contents of alfalfa and concentrate mixture were 13.03 and 23.4%, respectively. Total DM intake was 925.41, 956.16, 1078.13 and 1015.65 (SE=± 19.4) for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively and T1 was lower (p